Wines of Italy: Il Gusto Italiano del Vino (ISBN 1559498811)

Is This the Wine Gift-Book of the Year?:
By Bill Marsano. Yes, this the Wine Gift-Book of the Year. It's a lush, large-format lapful of treats and temptations--fine photographs and elegant Roman and medieval paintings, plenty of details and, best of all, a high degree of readability. This is no geek's encyclopedia of trivia and minutiae. It's a festival for those who love wine, or want to. The experienced will appreciate the depth of its knowledge; beginners will feel warmly welcome, not discouraged and intimidated. Patricia Guy lives in Verona, one of the major posts of Italy's wine industry, and over a long career she's been a taster, a judge, a lecturer, a consultant, a marketer: She knows what she is about. She tackles her subject alphabetically, grape by grape--almost. Actually she focuses on the most important grapes, providing for each a profile of its history, where it's grown, tasting notes and the wines it produces. (Covering Italian grapes simply isn't feasible, at least not in a book that can be hefted without the aid of a forklift. As the world's Mother Vineyard, Italy has about 350 documented grape varieties and about 1000 more that are still to be fully explored.) And so you're going to get all the details on your big names, such as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, Verdicchio and Pinot Grigio. Of course. But Guy pays due respect to obscurities and rarities--grapes most folks have never heard of: Erbaluce, Falanghina, Uva di Troia, Coda di Volpe, Nerello Mascalese, and others that have names like songs. (There are also thumbnail sketches of many emerging varieties). She lists leading producers (helpful, because you want to run out and buy) and a goodly selection of recipes. Here too, it's clear that you're in the hands of an expert: In Italy, wine and food have developed in lockstep over many centuries, each contributing to the other. For that reason, Guy's recipes are carefully chosen local and regional dishes; they come from the same soil as the wines she pairs them with. This is far more perceptive than the quickie approach--"Have a country red with the spaghetti"--so often taken by lesser writers. I may be making the book sound too learned. It learned but also readable and enjoyable. Guy has a nice line in dry wit. Of Cortese wines ("supple, with tenuous aromas") she says "when describing such wines, the fine line between delicate and insipid has occasionally been blurred." About one decidedly unnecessary wine she notes that "Some producers also make sparkling Recioto di Soave. It is an acquired taste." Guy knows that wine is truly about pleasure and delight, and she's happy to let readers in on that secret.--Bill Marsano has won a James Beard medal for wine and spirits writing and is the Wine Editor of Hemispheres, the magazine of United Airlines. --

Should be called "Grapes of Italy":
I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was an educational book about the wine regions of Italy, but it is actually more like an encyclopedia of Italian wine grapes. Instead of approaching the study of Italian wines on a regional level (the preferred method), the author chose to look at it grape by grape. In a VERY large font (I guess they wanted the book to look big), the author provides information about all of the major grape varieties in Italy in alphabetical order. If this is what you want then please buy this book - it does have good descriptions and pictures. If you would prefer to learn about the amazing wine regions of Italy, and the relationship between the wine, food, history, and culture of each region, then look elsewhere.

Much Needed Book:
I have to disagree with the other reviewer who took issue with the emphasis on grapes over regions. The wine growing regions of Italy, let alone regions of most famous wine growing countries, have been covered in countless books. What has not been adequately covered are the less well know grapes used in these famous countries, that for whatever reasons are not available in the US or even known about. This book serves the vast appetite of more experienced wine lovers who know of the regions and now want to focus on the grapes thay make unique wines. As a lover of Italian wines, I am dismayed by the small choice in US wine shops of wines from this country. A book that educates people about grapes over regions will cause people to demand wines of particular grapes currently not available in the US - thus increasing production and sales of fruit native to these countries that have been dismissed in lieu of more mainstream choices.

First Steps Through A Growing Kaleidoscopic Of Italian Wines:
Patricia Guy's "Wines of Italy" provides both an introduction to and reference work for the wines of Italy. Over 100 varieties are described in this book. They were selected on the basis of their use (on their own or as a blend) in Italy's most famous wines, their commercial success on the international market, and their palate-pleasing potential. Over the last ten years, Italian wine producers have been tramping the fields and hills of their zones seeking out native wines, rediscovering lost pieces of their viticultural heritage, and using modern technology to fully express the potential of these grapes. The results of their work are arriving in wine shops around the world, offering wine lovers a luscious range of flavors and fragrances unavailable from any other country. "Wines of Italy" was created to help wine drinkers take their first steps through this growing kaleidoscopic world of Italian grape varieties. The book begins with a synopsis of Italian viticultural history, which began before recorded time, and continues with a description of each wine growing region, its wine growing history including climate, and its gastronomical history. For each wine, Guy adds a descriptive passage from grape variety to wine and, since Italian wine is to be enjoyed with food, wine-gastronomy combinations. The "Wines of Italy" is also filled with excellent photographs capturing the essence of each wine growing region. This book will be satisfying for any wine connoisseur, will serve as an excellent gift, and will show well on any cocktail table.

Much Needed Book:
I have to disagree with the other reviewer who took issue with the emphasis on grapes over regions. The wine growing regions of Italy, let alone regions of most famous wine growing countries, have been covered in countless books. What has not been adequately covered are the less well know grapes used in these famous countries, that for whatever reasons are not available in the US or even known about. This book serves the vast appetite of more experienced wine lovers who know of the regions and now want to focus on the grapes that make unique wines. As a lover of Italian wines, I am dismayed by the small choice in US wine shops of wines from this country. A book that educates people about grapes over regions will cause people to demand wines of particular grapes currently not available in the US - thus increasing production and sales of fruit native to these countries that have been dismissed in lieu of more mainstream choices.